Good work has student riding high

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Posted: Wednesday, May 05, 2010

By Ryan Blackburn

Good grades and attendance can help open a door to college.

At Madison County High School, a student's good work also may open the door to a new car.

Madison County High Principal Chad Stone surprised an outstanding student Tuesday with a new car as part of an incentive program to reward students who come to school, pass their tests and stay on track to graduate.

About 20 students were randomly selected during an end-of-year assembly on Tuesday to participate in a mock "Deal or No Deal" prize contest in which they could barter with Stone for cash, or take a surprise prize.

Some students came away with $100 or a digital camera, sweatshirt or free car wash. Three seniors were later chosen at random for three remaining prizes - including a new 2009 Kia Rio from Terry Reid Kia.

Close to 320 students were eligible to receive the free car, with a $16,800 list price, but Stone picked one - Brittany Woods, 18 - during the random drawing.

"I wasn't expecting my name to be called out," Woods said, as a crowd of her teachers and coaches rushed her outside for pictures by the car. "I'm just so excited. I still can't believe my name got called."

Woods has worked hard to graduate as one of the top 30 students in her school and spends her time outside of school playing on the soccer team, acting in the drama club and volunteering in the community, her teachers and soccer coaches said.

"She has had to work so much and work so hard to be where she's at," said Molly McCarty, who coaches the school's girls soccer team. "She'll never forget this, but hard work does pay off."

The new car will replace Woods' old, worn-out Jeep Wrangler that's more than 10 years old, and will come in handy when she has to make the long drive to Gainesville State College next fall, Woods said.

Before coming to Madison County, Stone was principal at Turner County High, where he started a similar campaign to reward students with help of community donations and proceeds from school snack machines.

In three year's time, the graduation rate at Turner shot up from 62 percent to 83 percent. In Madison County, the school's most recent graduation rate is 70 percent, according to the Governor's Office of Student Achievement.

"We felt like our incentive program at Turner County High School really helped out with increasing our graduation rate and we hope to do the same thing here," Stone said.

This year, Stone collected proceeds from snack machines and donations from teachers and other people to buy the car, which Terry Reid Bulldog Kia sold at a drastically reduced rate, said Vic Martino, a sales manager at Terry Reid Kia.